October was yet another busy month in the life of a retiree, spending time with a variety of friends at a variety of events in a variety of locations.

 

Kicking off the month with a 60th birthday celebration, dining at the Shard in Londinium, It was a beautiful day, enjoying the food, the company and our lovely Capital City. A perfect Sunday outing 🥂

But the month was only just beginning. The following weekend and after a four year gap we attended the local Oktoberfest 🍻. The lead up had been a little tense, me hoping I would still be able to squeeze into my outfit. It had hung at the back of the wardrobe since its last outing. 😬 But with a little help from the hubby, I breathed in and he carefully pulled the side zip up 👏👏. . . . I was in, although not sure I’d be able to breathe for the entire evening 😬.

Too late to worry, the taxi was on route with the Besties, and after collecting more friends along the way we were heading for an evening of beer, bratwurst, music and dancing. Long tables filled the hall, which was bedecked with flags. Our table secured the boys joined the queue for refreshments and once our steins were in hand we were ready to party 🥳

The venue was different from four years ago as was the company running the event, so the format was also likely to be different, but so far so good 🍻. The oompah band took to the stage and the singing and dancing began. As the beer continued to flow the audience participation increased. I was concerned the typical hand clapping, arm linking, standing and sitting dances might put a strain on the old zip, but thankfully it stayed in tact. 😮‍💨 As the evening progressed participation in glass raising to the lyrics of Ein Prosit also resulted in a lot of beer spilling 🙊 But the evening was a huge success and fabulous fun.

Looking forward to returning in 2024, and maybe one day we’ll make it to Germany 🇩🇪.

After a couple of days recouping, we were off on a seemingly more sedate day trip. When I retired I joined the company’s pensioners association. As a member we can partake in regular monthly coffee mornings to keep in touch with ex colleagues, enjoy a great Christmas lunch and have the opportunity to join our fellow pensioners on outings throughout the year.

Although I have been a fairly regular attendee of the local coffee mornings, and enjoyed the Christmas lunches, I hadn’t taken the opportunity to join any of the outings. However in October, we were offered the chance to visit Herstmonceux Observatory. The trip would include a guided tour, time to explore under our own steam and culminate with tea and cake 🧁. . . . . The tea and cake sold it 🤣🤣, so we joined fellow retiree Helen and her partner on our very first Pensioners Association Outing 👵🏻👴.

Having lived so near for so long I can’t believe this was my first visit. What a fabulous place. So much information about our relationship with the stars, our discovery of the planets and continuing exploration of space. There was lots of interactive equipment , probably aimed at the school kids 🤷‍♀️, but we just pushed them out of the way 🤣 Hey we’re all kids at heart. We miraculously spun heavy stone spheres on water, made a vortex, also in water and wiggled our weight around on a huge disc until we got it balanced 👍

We saw some enormous telescopes. So many housed in one place. Our guided tour took us into the domes, where we watched in awe as the roof turned and opened to allow the telescope access to the sky above. Unfortunately as it was still daylight we didn’t do any stargazing 🔭, but how magical that would be to return on one of their evening events. 🤞

There was more time to explore the interactive exhibits, from attempting to build a pyramid to taking a ride on the vacuum operated chair. Having so much fun and still giggling, we were called in to the cafe for our tea and cake 🍰

What a fabulous fun filled day. We may be entering our twilight years, but we can still enjoy the wonders of youthful fun, although we may need a couple of days rest afterwards 🤣

October 14th is Hastings Day, the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. The town holds a week full of events to commemorate , which culminates in a bonfire procession and fireworks.

 

Despite the cold weather, the town was filled with locals and tourists alike. With the roads closed to traffic, everyone can enjoy the atmosphere, watch the colourful procession feel the warmth from the huge bonfire built on the beach and marvel at the spectacular firework display.

Each year the bonfire effigy relates to a local topic of conversation. This year a humorous nod to the treacherous potholes of Sussex. It made us smile, but unfortunately does nothing to alleviate the problem. C’est la vie.

 

The torch lit procession provided a bit of warmth and the usual array of costumes. Drumming bands filled the air with their loud rhythmic beats. It all makes for a happy party atmosphere. As the procession reaches it’s conclusion, the torches are thrown onto the bonfire and once the last one has landed, the firework display explodes into the night sky.

And what another extravaganza of colour, sound and lights it was. We are so lucky to live in a town full of wonderful celebrations. 🍀

Before we knew it Halloween was upon us. Normally our house is awash with all things spooky. But although the box of decorations came down from the loft, there was a bit of apathy in the house and only a few of them went up. There was however, pumpkin carving and the results displayed by the front door ready to welcome trick or treaters.

We joined friends at the Forbidden Fruit, for a Halloween 🎃 quiz. Teams who dressed for the occasion and decorated their table, could be awarded extra points for effort.

Gauntlet down, we rummaged around to see what we could wear. 😬. I was planning to go as a simple witch, but when the hubby borrowed an outfit from our son-in-law at the last minute, I  thought I ought to make more effort. Our daughter also had an outfit lurking in the Halloween box. I tried it on and thought it was a little short for a women of maturing years, but with a pair of black leggings it looked a bit more respectable. Decisions decisions, I couldn’t make up my mind  witch 🧙 one to wear (sorry).

The Besties arrived and we obviously had to pose for photos before leaving to decorate our table. Although it looked great, we could never match the fantastic display the pub puts on AMAZING 🤩.

With our remaining teammates joining us we knuckled down to concentrate on the answers, but as is often the case we were lingering mid table. But woo hoo it was announced that our dressing up and table decoration efforts had gained us some extra points 👏👏👏. Sadly the whole 5 additional points did nothing to improve our position 🤣. Never mind it’s the taking part that’s more important (or so I keep telling myself🤣)

What a marvellous month of fun, laughter, dressing up and retirement joy.
The wonderful journey continues 😍